HP ENVY 7640 e-All-in-One Printer -- can't scan to computer. Full details given in question.

[BobNvll]

Please read this entire message and understand it before replying - otherwise we will be wasting each others time.

I installed an HP ENVY 7640 e-All-in-One Printer for a client and it won't scan to the computer.

The full software package was installed from the CD provided with the printer with no errors.

I discovered the problem, tried a few things, and then decided to get the current version of the full software package from the HP web site.

The website identified the PC's operating system as Vista 32bit.  I confirmed this by looking in the Windows System Panel. I then downloaded the full software package file that was recommended on the download page - the file name is EN7640_117.exe

I un-installed the previous installation and deleted the Printer.

I ran the downloaded install package and there were no errors but the scan problem remains.

Incidentally, the version of the full software package on the CD and on the HP web site are the same, version 34.2 - so there is no update for the software and there is no separate scanner driver listed in the software/drivers list on the HP web site for the 7640 for Vista 32bit.

There is a basic driver listed but trying that will be a last resort as I expect that it will duplicate things from the full software package and might screw things up. I'd want to un-install the full package and delete the printer before installing the basic driver. I also don't think the basic driver install contains any of the scan software - just the printer driver, for printing.

So, I'm still at the point where it prints just fine but I can't scan to the computer, neither from the PC nor from the Printer controls (on the Printer itself)

I found that I can scan to a USB memory stick and the Scan to Email feature works - both of these are initiated with the Printer controls and the PC is not involved.

When I try to scan to the computer from the PC, I click Start and All Programs. I then open the HP folder and then the folder for the 7640 device. I then click HP Scan.

Nothing appears to happen. No program window is displayed, nothing.

After a bit of thinking , I decided to open the Windows Task Manager and see if there was a HP Scan process showing in the Processes list. Assuming the name would start with HP, I pressed the H key to move down the list to the first name starting with H. There were two items, both are HP programs but neither is the the scan function. I also looked in the Application tab and there is, as I suspected, no entry for the HP Scan program.

Keeping the Task Manager Processes list open, I tried to run the HP Scan program again. I watched the Task Manager processes list when I clicked the shortcut to start the HP Scan program.

A new entry appeared in the Task Manager processes list. The name was HP Scan. It displayed for perhaps one half to one second and then was removed from the list.

So, the program was trying to start and for some reason immediately ends.

When I try to start the HP Scan program, no window is opened; no error messages are displayed.

When I try to scan from the Printer (using the printer controls) it shows that it is preparing to scan and then eventually times-out and an error message is displayed which says it failed and giving three possible errors.

Here's the message displayed on the printers screen (the lines of dashes are mine, insert to delimit the message:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Scan Unsuccessful

One or more of the following problems has prevented the scan from being completed:

. The connection to the computer has been lost.

. The scan application on the computer is currently in use.

. An OCR application is not installed on the computer.

Check the computer for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

It turns not that it is not one of the three possibilities errors that are displayed (some programmer needs to add atg least a fourth possibility to the error message, as explained below)

I found that the error actually was the same as happens when I try to start the HP Scan program on the PC - an entry named HP Scan appears in the Task Manager Processes list, and disappears almost immediately,

That is, when I press the Start Scan button on the printer's screen, I see the entry appear in the Processes list and then disappear and the Printer times-out and displays the error message show above. The HP Scan program tries to start and fails.

What I'm expecting to see, if it works properly, is the HP Scan program automatically start on the PC and then you'd probably complete the scan using the options in the HP Scan program's window. As I haven't got it to work yet, I can't be sure how you would complete the scan but at this point it doesn't really matter. Suffice to say that the software fails to start on PC.

Oh, yes - there is a PC control panel program for the device and one option is to enable scanning - it IS enabled. Another option is to start a scan - that likewise does not work but I've not checked with the Task Manager. I suspect I'd see the same thing as when I tried to start the HP Scan program, either on the PC or automatically when starting the scan from the printer controls - the HP Scan entry would appear and then disappear.

So - the problem can be stated fairly simply:

The HP Scan program, installed when the full software package for the printer was installed, does not successfully start. It appears in the Task Manager Processes list but disappears after one half to one second. No program window is opened and no error message is displayed.

The problem is with the HP Scan program. It cannot successfully be started.

It could be just about anything - bug in the program; problem in the Vista 32bit version, etc. etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions, other than un-installing and reinstalling - I'm not going to do that as I am confident that the installation was successful and it would be a waste of time - unless there is a newer version, for Vista 32bit, newer than 34.2

Please remember the symptom of the HP Scan program appearing in the Task Manager Processes list and then almost immediately being removed. HP Scan starts and immediately ends without displaying any program window or error message. The HP Scan program is trying to start but fails, with no program Window opened and on error message displayed.

Bob

[ShlomiL]

Hi Bob,

The latest software version for Windows Vista is 34.2, there is no later software for Vista.

Try following the HP Print And Scan Doctor Utility below by selecting Fix Scanning.

http://ftp.hp.com/pub/printers/hppsdr/HPPSdr.exe

Be sure to click Show Details and see ny result.

Is there any specific failure? during which step?

What happen during the scan test while following this tool?

Be sure to follow the suggested steps within the tool and see if that may help, if the issue remain please let me know what has been suggested, what error been identified and any change you may see.

To add, the basic Driver do include the HP Scan application as part of its installation...

[BobNvll]

As I said, no newer version is available on the downloaded page.

I neglected to say that I did download the Doctor but it ran so that the progress bar was about 80% of the way and then nothing else happened. I let it run for quite a while but I finally blew it away with Task Manager.

I had found a link for the Doctor program and downloaded a file, when I installed it said that I needed to download a Vista version and provided a button with which to do so - that is the version of the program I ran.

Also, running the downloaded file does not install the program, it merely runs it, so that later when I wanted to try again, I had no way to start the proper version. I went to the download page and tried to download it and got a message that the download had faiiled - nothing else.

I contact the client and see when she would be available and I will try and get the Doctor running again and simply let it run for a few hours and see if anything happens.

If it doesn't complete, or it doesn't help with the problem, I'll uninstall, delete the printer, and install just the basic drivers, since you say it does include the Scan software.

I will let you know the results - is the best (perhaps only ) way to get info to you simply posting another reply here on the forum?

Bob